Study Desk

Look at the birds in the air. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, but your heavenly Father feeds them. And you know that you are worth much more than the birds.

"And why do you worry about clothes? Look at how the lilies in the field grow. They don't work or make clothes for themselves.

You will know these people by what they do. Grapes don't come from thornbushes, and figs don't come from thorny weeds.

The herdsmen ran away and went into town, where they told about all of this and what had happened to the men who had demons.

When the people saw this, they were amazed and praised God for giving power like this to human beings.

When the Pharisees saw this, they asked Jesus' followers, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"

Jesus answered, "The friends of the bridegroom are not sad while he is with them. But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and then they will fast.

When he saw the crowds, he felt sorry for them because they were hurting and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Be careful of people, because they will arrest you and take you to court and whip you in their synagogues.

"All those who stand before others and say they believe in me, I will say before my Father in heaven that they belong to me.

But all who stand before others and say they do not believe in me, I will say before my Father in heaven that they do not belong to me.

And if you will believe what they said, you will believe that John is Elijah, whom they said would come.

He said, "How terrible for you, Korazin! How terrible for you, Bethsaida! If the same miracles I did in you had happened in Tyre and Sidon, those people would have changed their lives a long time ago. They would have worn rough cloth and put ashes on themselves to show they had changed.

At that time Jesus was walking through some fields of grain on a Sabbath day. His followers were hungry, so they began to pick the grain and eat it.

So I tell you, people can be forgiven for every sin and everything they say against God. But whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.

Good people have good things in their hearts, and so they say good things. But evil people have evil in their hearts, so they say evil things.

And I tell you that on the Judgment Day people will be responsible for every careless thing they have said.

On the Judgment Day the people from Nineveh will stand up with you people who live now, and they will show that you are guilty. When Jonah preached to them, they were sorry and changed their lives. And I tell you that someone greater than Jonah is here.

Then the evil spirit goes out and brings seven other spirits even more evil than it is, and they go in and live there. So the person has even more trouble than before. It is the same way with the evil people who live today."

Someone told Jesus, "Your mother and brothers are standing outside, and they want to talk to you."